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major vulnerability· requires attention

Affects the Linux kernel — core infrastructure across organizations. Can cause kernel panics and memory corruption; widespread impact warrants broad IT/infra notification.

Systems

CVE-2026-74398

9.8
Critical
EPSS 0.51%Patch availableAug 17, 2026

IPv6 DAD race in Linux kernel causes kernel crash and memory corruption.

common questions

Is CVE-2026-74398 being exploited?

Not confirmed. CVE-2026-74398 does not appear in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which records only exploitation that has been observed and reported publicly. That is evidence of absence of a report, not evidence the flaw is unattacked. EPSS currently estimates a 0.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How severe is CVE-2026-74398?

CVE-2026-74398 is rated Critical with a CVSS score of 9.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.

Is there a patch for CVE-2026-74398?

Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2026-74398. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.

What does CVE-2026-74398 affect?

CVE-2026-74398 affects Linux kernel (IPv6 addrconf), Linux distributions with vulnerable kernels. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.

What should I do about CVE-2026-74398?

Apply vendor kernel updates and reboot affected systems immediately.

Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.

executive summary
technical analysis
affected
Linux kernel (IPv6 addrconf)Linux distributions with vulnerable kernels
impact

Race in IPv6 addrconf can corrupt kernel linked lists, causing GPF/kernel panic (DoS) and potential memory corruption that could enable escalation.

action required

Immediate action required

affected versions
Linux Linux
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < 47b05836705b63dab93d9ac7c69a3a507375ef80
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < d21be7d051012c6b572fa4e3334443c250216f7b
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < 875c284c0f98b042bb97abad460f63a24c977f88
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < 8ed0ce9ea58d677d1bac92614ee5f60f8ea57363
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < 3bdc86d89fd6c6523753fa6f42fcfaf30ee699cb
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < b61af0268e3d1308c466bf0be5dced844eafc1ef
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < e889aa99ad3ed48bb0ddcff6475b17542532d18b
  • affected>= c15b1ccadb323ea50023e8f1cca2954129a62b51 and < 627ac78f2741e2ebd2225e2e953b6964a8a9182f
  • affected835b474b8f70fa68d68abffad37378e92f661802
  • affected>= 3.10.105 and < 3.11
  • affected3.14
vendor says fixed in< 3.14, >= 5.10.261 and <= 5.10.*, >= 5.15.212 and <= 5.15.*, >= 6.1.178 and <= 6.1.*, >= 6.6.145 and <= 6.6.*, >= 6.12.97 and <= 6.12.*, >= 6.18.40 and <= 6.18.*, >= 7.1.5 and <= 7.1.*, >= 7.2 and <= *

As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.

how to fix
Remediation steps are tailored for users whose stack is affected. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
references
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